Ireland

The Irish tricolor flag, created in 1848, was designed to reflect the country's political realities. Orange stands for Irish Protestants, green for Irish Catholics and the white stripe for the hope that peace might eventually be reached between them.

Dublin's official date of establishment was in 988 A.D. although evidence of it's existence dates back to the second century in which it was named Eblana. By the end of the 17th century a remarkable growth began with Protestant refugees from the European continent pouring into Dublin. After Independence, in 1916 Dublin became the political, economic, and cultural center of Ireland.

The quintessential Irish dish, Irish stew can provoke heated discussion among people in Ireland about its ingredients. They do vary a lot from recipe to recipe, but all are agreed that the meat is always lamb (or mutton) and there must be onions and potatoes.

Is one of Ireland's 3 primary airports. Shannon holds an important place in Ireland's aviation history as it was the first transatlantic gateway between Ireland and U.S.A., and the birthplace of duty-free shopping.